where art thou Martha?
by gormogon
Summary: another murder another mystery same bat channel!same gorgeous non couple!:-
1. Chapter 1

**A torn heart**

'Castle didn't you get Martha's message?'

'Message,no and I have had my phone on the whole time,maybe its about time I changed network,could be government spies are tapping into my phone?'

'hmm and they would be targeting a fiction writer why?to start a war on words?anyways she called her looking for you about a half hour ago,I thought you would've been with her by now'

'Its not fiction and ae you ever going to tell me what she said?'

'With pleasure, she said you're the most ungrateful son she ever raised'

'im the 'only' ungrateful son she ever raised..hold on…what have I done now?'

'you left her at the mall for 2 hours and she was getting dizzy from watching the elevators,she said'

'oh god I totally forgot I was supposed to pick her up'

'Its ok she already got her revenge,she told me to tell you with a smile that she maxed one of your credit cards'

'that's my mother she probably thought a pretty face would soften the blow,I have a good mind to have a gps tracking device inserted in her brain while she sleeps some night'

'ya either that or she'll call parents neglect services on you'

'oh ha ha detective take a spoonful of witty in our coffee this morning did we?'

As Castle leans over Kates desk and starts flipping through reports Kate speaks up

'Castle'

'Hum'

'go get you mother'

'oh right…wait you mean she didn't just get a cab back already?'

'like I said she maxed out your credit card unless she bought a bike and cycled home I doubt she's back'

It soon registered to Castle that maybe his credit card was the only one she had with her.

'look I even offered to drive over there my self but she insisted she wait for you'

'That's mother always so independent except when it comes to the primary caregiver'with two thumbs pointing at his chest,he looked like a cheery salesperson Kate couldn't help but smile.

Just as he was leaving Ryan and Esposito hurried down the hall like synchronised swimmers to alert Kate to a new followed them giving Castle an apologetic wave.

Damn his mother,he secretly hoped she had bought a nice condo on his tab.

'What have we got Lanie?'

'where's Mr Wiseguy?'

'oh he's been grounded'

Lanie looked at Esposito in question as to Kates meaning while realising how influential Castle was on Kate.

Espo was also clueless to Kates joke but felt that Castle would have been proud,instead he filled her in,

'looks like a mugging gone wrong,all her valuables are gone but maybe she fought back and he killed witnesses except for the guy who found her this morning at around 7 am when he was taking out the trash,he's the owner of the restaurant,a Mr Cossack,real genius,when Ryan asked him about cameras he said they were duds even inside the restaurant and there's none on the corner of the street either'

'this looks like a sharp well dressed woman,what was she doing down a poorly lit alley in the middle of New York?'

This is where Lanie took over

'she has a stab wound to the chest which broke through the thorax and punctured her heart,I'll have to wait to examine her completely at the lab but I'm pretty sure we found cause of death'

'I estimate her age to be about mid fifties to early sixties based on dentition and cranial-mandibular structure and judging on the rigor mortis of the body I put time of death at no more than 6 hours ago'

'ok so between 3 and 4 am this morning,Espo put a trace out on her valuables,her clothes are brand names so they may be expensive items her killer has tried to sell,maybe they left a money trail,Ryan can you check for any reports of missing persons within the last 24 hours she may have been missing before she died who knows,

Ryan: 'Im on it'

I'll head back to the precinct and see if our killer has tried to sell anything online'

For a moment Kate thought she saw somebody else in the victims place,that face so familiar.

'yo Beckett you ok?'

Only when Kate focuses on Esposito does she realise how intensely she was staring at the walks away feeling slightly dizzy.


	2. Chapter 2

After walking around the city in a daze for a couple of hours Castle opens the door to find Kate sitting in an intimate hand-holding position next to his mother.

Kate: 'Castle I thought you went home when you left the precinct'

'I needed a walk to clear my head but do you notice the amount of pollution in the air at night,its like the mist only real'

His attempt at sounding cheerful failed miserably…. like his second marriage.

'Oh Castle darling Beckett explained to me about the woman in this case…oh sweetheart I am so sorry you feel this way but look at me I'm fine' she gave Castle a tight hug just to add substance to her point.

'oh mom I promise you I will take you to the mall and back whenever you need me too,I will never forget you again I promise'

'oh sweetie I would hold you to that promise except you've had a great shock and it may have impaired your ability to think straight' she winks at Kate who stares concernedly at Castle.

'Anyway I'll be upstairs if you need me,I've got a whole new wardrobe to try on'

This momentarily causes Castle some pain as he gives her a horrified look,if only she accidentally lost that credit card?

Kate takes his hand and leads him to the couch.

'this case has affected you in a way I cant even imagine,Castle,I couldn't imagine recognising either one of my parents in another victim,all I know is that I wouldn't have dealt with it as bravely as you have..but you also don't have to suffer alone'

She puts his hand in her lap to portray their closeness.

'I am here for you and your mother,well she says that you make her feel safe and seeing what has happened to so many people and the work you do with us,she is fully aware of the dangers of this city and that's why you will be glad to know she doesn't make any uneccessary risks jouneying out at night'

'I may have bought you some sympathy points too but its ok I can take candy as payment'

He grins at this and then becomes serious again.

'When you left the precinct the lost valuables were brought in by a very unhappy search found a hidden id card in the lining of the bag.'

She hesitates with the next detail as she considers its impact on Castle but decides he's tough enough.

'It seems she was a struggling broadway actress by the name of Helen had the misfortune to meet up with a low scale lowlife 'director' and when he didn't pay her for a low budget play he was directing she filed a lawsuit against him'

Castle now leaned into Kate in earnest

'he played nice asked her to diner to try to talk her out of the suit once again but when he realised he was getting nowhere,he killed her at the back of the restaurant'

'What was she doing there?'

'when we redialled the last call,her lawyer answered,which confirmed that she was being harrassed by this guy'

'the owner of the restaurant seemed to have an epiphany when we questioned him a second seems that red salmon was very popular for him,and his description matched that of a man named Loius Peckman. A sometime conman with a peculiar taste in Ice picks and all around the only charming he'll be doing for the next oh 100 years will be his cell mate'

'Two women never met but yet so alike'

'scary huh?'

'Thanks for giving my mom the bedtime story by the way!she'll be talking about this for the next month'

'yeah well it was the least that I could do,it's the first time she's been noticed all day,she was feeling a bit 'left' out'

'she always enjoys talking to you'before Castle could stop himself voicing that thought he couldn't,it was too late..that ship was halfway out the harbour.

'well I better go get some dinner'

'right I must feed Alexis…I nearly forgot' they both chuckled at this turn of events.

Kate turned at the door and added 'please talk to me when you are troubled by something next time ok,we're partners and Im your shoulder to cry on,remember?'

'Thank you Kate'

'always' and she left and like the fadeout of a scene in a movie the lights seemed to dull.

'


End file.
